John  D,    I'luttinp^ 


Iiorinonisn  To-dry   rnd  its 
Remedy 


)P838 


VR? 


r/ 


leprinted  by  special  permission  from  The  Missionary  Review  of  the  World 

for  April  and  May,  1913. 
Copyrighted  by  the  Funk  &  Wagnalls  Co.,  New  York,   Publishers. 


Mormonism  To-day 


AND   ITS 


Remedy 


•w/ 


By  Rev.  John  D.  Nutting 
Secretary  of  the  Utah  Gospel  Mission 


Cleveland,   O. 

The  Utah  Gospel  Mission 

1913 


Pricm,    10  centt ;    r«n  for  7S  cmntt ;   pottpaid. 


Lu'JKINo    NOKTII    ON     MAIN    STREET    IN    SALT    LAKE    CITY,    THE    CAPITAL    OF    MOKMuNISM 

The  Brigham  Young  Monument  is  in  the  center  of  the   street  and   the  Mormon  Temple  and 
Hotel    Utah    are   on    the   left   and    the    right    sides. 

MORMONISM   TO-DAY   AND   ITS   REMEDY 

r,V    REV.    JOHN"    D.    NUTTING,    CLEVELAND,    OHIO 
Secretary    of    the    Utah    Gospel    Mission 

ORMOXISM  has  been  great  hindrances  to  a  correct  under- 
called  "Satan's  master-  standing  of  the  question  has  been 
piece;"  and,  with  all  the  utterances  of  those  who  have 
respect  to  its  sincere  ventured  to  "inform"  the  public  with- 
adherents,  there  is  no  out  first  informing  themselves.  We 
more  fitting  name.  It  purpose  in  this  article  to  give  some 
is  often  little  understood,  and  more  results  of  over  20  years'  most  intimate 
often  wrongly  understood ;  for  it  is  connection  with  the  Utah  situation. 
far  away  from  most  people,  is  many-  During  this  period  the  writer  has 
sided,  conceals  itself  like  a  cuttlefish,  talked  with  approximately  7,000  Mor- 
and   is   spread   over   such  an  area   as  mons    about   their    system,    in    nearly 


to  make  local  study  and  generaliza- 
tion difficult.  He  who  would  under- 
stand Mormonism  must  either  be  con- 
tent to  spend  years  in  study  and 
first-hand      observation      among     the 


200  of  their  settlements,  attending 
hundreds  of  their  meetings,  conduct- 
ing over  500  gospel  services,  and  be- 
coming familiar  with  their  periodical 
and  other  publications.    ^Meanwhile  he 


common  people  and  in  reading  publi-  has  been  at  the  focus  of  the  reports 

cations    for    and    against    it,    or    he  of  workers  who  have  visited  practi- 

must  take  the  results  of  such  study  cally    all    the    Mormon    homes    three 

and  experience  on  the  part  of  those  times    over,    in    Christian    work    in- 

who    have    thus    done.      One    of    the  tended    to    give    them    a    fair    gospel 


2     — 


chance.  A  system  which  has  more 
than  doubled  itself  in  the  last  20 
years  of  nineteenth  century  daylight, 
and  which  sends  out  1,000  emissaries 
a  year  to  accomplish  its  purposes,  is 
surely  worthy  of  study,  and  must 
have  it  if  Christianity  is  to  protect 
itself  and  its  civilization  from  dan- 
gerous invasion. 

What   is   Mormonisin   To-day? 

Joseph  Smith,  its  "prophet,"  said 
it  was  the  only  true  church  and  re- 
ligion ;  Joseph  Cook  characterized  it 
as  "a  religion  of  the  barnyard,"  or 
breeding.     Other  word-portraits  have 

been : 

"A  political  machine  surpassing  Tam- 
many." 

"A  financial  trust  dealing  in  the  bodies 
and  souls  of  men.'" 

"A  clannish  and  immoral  social  order 
bound  together  by   secret  oaths." 

"A  politico-financial  hierarchy." 

"A   renaissance  of  phallic  paganism." 

All  but  Joe  Smith's  certainly  have 
much  truth  in  them.  Let  us  group 
the  main  facts  under  four  heads: 

I.  Mormonism  as  a  Political  Machine 

While  over-emphasis  has  sometimes 
been  given  to  this  point,  certain  un- 
questionable facts  show  the  tremen- 
dous possibilities  of  the  system.  And 
it  is  beyond  credulity  to  believe  that 
such  a  machine  waiting  for  an  oper- 
ator and  such  operators  as  Mormon 
leaders  waiting  for  machines,  have 
not  long  ago  come  together.  The 
main  items  to  be  noted  are  these : 

I.  The  shrewdness  of  the  leaders 
and  the  simplicity  of  the  common 
people  forms  a  combination  hard  to 
beat  for  either  political  or  religious 
results — the  ideal  for  oligarchical  rule 
of  any  kind.  The  most  of  the  peo- 
ple are  unlearned  in  the  ways  of  the 
world  and  the  politician,  as  well  as 
in      political     issues.        Many     want 


eadcrship  and  get  it;  as  a  non-Mor- 
mon said,  speaking  of  Mormon  serv- 
ices :  "There's  always  some  one 
comes  down  from  Salt  Lake  before 
election,  and  we  go  then,  and  from 
something  he  says  we  know  how  they 
want  it  to  go,  and  it  goes  that  way." 
This  was  her  observation,  and  some 
such  general  truth  holds  to-day,  tho 
probably  less  now  than   formerly. 

2.  The  habit  of  obedience  to  ec- 
clesiastical superiors  as  measurably 
inspired  of  God,  in  secular  as  well 
as  religious  things,  is  a  still  stronger 
factor  in  the  case.  It  is  simply  im- 
possible for  a  person  with  such  a 
habit  to  be  uninfluenced  by  the  wish 
of  his  superior,  even  if  influence  were 
not  intended  ;  which  often  seems  far 
from  being  the  case. 

"When  a  man  says  you  may  direct 
me  spiritually  but  not  temporally  he  lies 
in  the  presence  of  God." — Deseret  News, 
Apr.  25,   1895. 

3.  The  opportunities  for  such  in- 
fluence are  almost  unlimited.  The 
Mormon  machine  is  especially  con- 
structed as  if  this  end  was  in  view, 
as  it  doubtless  was.  A  so-called 
"bishop"  is  in  immediate  charge  of 
every  village,  with  two  "teachers" 
for  each  block  under  him ;  the  men 
are  organized  into  "quorums"  with 
their  leaders ;  a  "stake  president"  is 
over  each  group  of  settlements  and 
bishops,  with  his  "counsellors" ;  over 
them  the  "Twelve  Apostles,"  who 
are  the  traveling  authorities ;  over 
them  the  head  "proi)het,  seer  and 
revelator"  of  the  whole,  with  his 
"counsellors,"  these  being  the  final 
and  highest  authority  for  the  whole 
world  and  he  the  special  mouthpiece 
of  God,  whose  word  thus  given  su- 
persedes even  the  r)ible.  Weekly, 
"Zion"  is  covered  with  a  network  of 


—     :i 


speakers,  local  and  traveling,  whose  cci.libic  .'.f  similar  use.  t;i()()f  late 
supposably  religious  talks  easily  years  usual'y  guarded  in  their  utter- 
touch     anything     from     religion     to  ances. 

ditching.     One  could  hardly  imagine  5.   A  very  important  factor,  indeed, 

a   machine   more   thoroughly    devise  1  Ics    in    the    direct    teachings    of    the 

to  accomplish   the   will  of   its  central  system  about  its  relation  to  civil  gov- 

authoritv,   in   things   political   as   well  ernment  and  politics,  of  which  a  few 

(luotations  are  here  given : 

"The  priesthood  'holds'  the  power 
and  right  to  give  laws  and  command- 
ments to  individuals,  churches,  ruler?, 
nations  and  the  world;  to  appoint,  or- 
dain and  establish  constitutions  and 
kingdoms;  to  appoint  kings,  president>. 
governors,  or  judges." — Kcy\  />.  70. 

"It  is  the  only  legitimate  power  that 
has  a  right  to  rule  on  the  earth;  and 
when  the  will  of  God  is  done  f>n  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven,  no  other  power  will 
be  or  rule." — Apostle  John  Taylor,  J.  of 
[)..  J' :  1S6  and  on.  v 

"Their  priesthood  gives  them  the  riglit 
to  advise  and  instruct  the  Saints,  and 
tlicir  jurisdiction  extends  over  all  things 
spiritual  or  temporal." — Sermon  by  Dr. 
Coii.'ans,   Logan   Jonrnal,   May   26,    1898. 

"The  question  witli  me  is  .  .  . 
when  I  get  the  word  of  the  Lord  as  to 
who  is  the  right  man  [to  vote  for]  will 
I  obey  it,  no  matter  if  it  does  come  con- 
trary to  my  convictions?" — Pres.  Jos.  F. 
.Smith,  sermon  in  Tabernacle;  Des.  Xezcs, 
Dec.    6,    1900. 

These  statements  are  strong,  but 
are  the  logical  corollary  of  the  pro- 
fessedly theocratic  but  really  hieratic 
idea  which  is  the  basis  of  Mormon- 
ism.  Any  number  of  denials  of  poli- 
tical use  or  control  of  the  system 
would  make  no  difference,  even  if 
sincerelv  made;  the  machine  is  thus 
constructed.  a>td  is  hound  to  zi'ork  out 
that  zi'av: — the  writer  believes  inten- 
tionally so  from  the  beginning. 

\'()lumes  might  easily  be  written 
(U  the  actual  interferences  of  Mor- 
monism  in  local  and  national  politics 
—the  natural  outworking  of  the  im- 
planted    principle.       The     would     in- 


BnONZE    STATUE    OF    JOSEPH    SMITH 

This    is    the    ATormon    statue    of    the    foundei-    of 

Morninnism,   and   is  in   the  temple  grounds 

in    Salt    Lake    City 

as  religious;  and  this  withotit  the 
uninitiated  surmising  what  was  being 
done. 

4.  The  IMormon  periodical  press 
is  another  factor  which  can  not  be 
overlooked.  A  good-sized  and  fairly 
well  conducted  daily,  with  a  semi- 
weekly  edition  taken  in  every  hamlet ; 
the  organs  of  the  young  men's  and 
young  women's  organizations,  and 
issues    in    foreign    tongues,    are    sus- 


1 


lOK.MUN     l-UELIC    SCHOOL    CHII.nREN,    CHESTERFIELD,     IDAHO     (DESTITUTE    OF 
CHRISTIAN     privileges) 


elude  the  early  political  efforts  of 
Smith  at  Kirtland,  in  IMissonri  and 
at  Xauvoo,  with  his  candidacy  for 
the  presidency;  the  defiance  of  law- 
leading  to  their  illegal  expulsion  from 
each  of  these  places  in  turn ;  the 
l)rocuring,  by  the  methods  of  the 
demagogue,  of  the  charter  making 
Xauvoo  superior  to  the  State  within 
which  il  was  located ;  the  long  and 
sometimes  open  defiance  of  the  gov- 
ernment by  Brigham  Young  and 
others  in  Utah  which  finally  led  to 
the  establishment  of  a  military  post 
there ;  the  long  story  of  the  years 
covered  by  ex-Senator  Frank  J.  Can- 
non's exceedingly  valuable  articles 
and  book,  and  multitudes  of  other 
facts  down  to  the  latest  minute  of  its 
hierarchical  life.  And  the  claim  that 
much  of  this  was  only  in  defense 
of  religious  rights  does  not  im- 
prove the  case,  for  it  actually  con- 
fesses the  fact  with  which  we  are 
chiefly    concerned,    that    IMormonism 


is  such  a  political  machine;  capable 
of  infinite  mischief  in  the  lx)dy  politic 
whenever  it  chooses  so  to  apply  it- 
self. 

6.  Mormonism  is  a  gigantic  secret 
order,  in  which  the  mass  of  adults 
are  bound  to  one  another,  to  the 
system  and  to  its  leaders  by  terrible 
oaths  with  death  penalties — a  fact 
which  afifords  every  chance  for  un- 
derhanded, Jesuitical  influence  and 
control,  political  and  otherwise.  These 
oaths  have  been  testified  to  again  and 
again  during  the  last  fifty  years,  so 
that  their  existence  and  character  are 
beyond  question. 

7.  Politicians  outside  know  enough 
of  these  facts  to  make  the  vote  of 
Mormondom  a  bait  for  them,  en- 
abling Mormonism  by  trades  to  get 
about  what  favors  it  wants  otitside ; 
witness  the  passing  of  the  enabling 
act,  the  favorable  decision  in  the 
Smoot  case,  the  prevention  of  action 
all    these    vears    on    an    amendment 


^ 

H 

^H 

■ 

^^HL    1 

P5 

0 

m 

\S 

R  ^ 

Ji-     .MO  KM  UN     VljINC     MI.X     IN      IKAININt 


against  polygamy,  the  undeserved 
])rominence  given  Smoot  in  the  Sen- 
ate, the  acts  of  two  recent  heads  of 
the  nation  when  visiting  in  Utah,  etc. 
While  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
multitudes  of  the  common  Mormon 
people  love  their  country  and  intend 
to  be  true  to  it,  there  can  also  be  no 
question  that  the  very  existence  of 
the  above  facts  would  make  Mormon- 
ism  a  vast  political  machine  almost 
in  spite  of  itself,  human  nature  re- 
maining as  it  is.  And  no  such  ma- 
chine  is   safe  to  have   around. 

II.    Mormonism   as   a    Financial   and   Busi- 
ness  System 

Of  course,  any  true  church  has  its 
business  and  financial  side ;  but  that 
is  not  what  is  referred  to  here  at  all. 
The  features  of  the  system  outlined 
above  clearly  empower  ATormonism 
with  financial,  industrial  and  busi- 
ness control  which  is  not  only  be- 
yond the  needs  of  any  true  church. 


but  far  and  away  beyond  legitimacy 
(  r  public  safety.  Mormonism  started 
as  a  money-making  scheme  of  Smith 
and  Rigdon,  and  its  development  was 
along  the  same  lines.  First  the 
money-digging  schemes  of  Smith ; 
then  the  Book  of  Mormon  concocted 
for  sale ;  then  the  "church"  organ- 
ized, tithing,  fraudulent  lot-sales  and 
wild-cat  banking — all  before  or  in 
Kirtland  ;  since  which  time  the  stamp 
of  gain  has  by  no  means  disappeared. 
Its  million  or  two  of  tithing  receipts, 
plus  income  from  business  interests, 
plus  expenses  contributed  by  over 
2,ooo  emissaries,  plus  the  financial 
results  of  its  political  and  moral 
control,  plus  gifts,  enable  it  to  finance 
almost  any  scheme  of  propagandism 
or  suppression  which  may  seem  desir- 
able. Its  missionary  work  must  cost 
more  every  year  than  Christianity 
ever  put  into  that  field  in  a  decade ; 
its  "church"  schools  arct  claimed  to 
have    cost   $350,000   last    vear,    while 


(') 


new  buildings  and  publications  must 
require  quite  as  much.  The  center  of 
this  power  lies  in  the  tithing  sys- 
tem, which  must  next  be  briefly- 
noticed. 

The  Mormon  Tithing   System 

This  was  established  by  several 
"revelations"  to  Smith,  1831-38,  given 
in  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  pages  241, 
301,  339,  418-19.  It  requires  that  on 


the  Salt  Lake  authorities.  No  real 
accounting  is  ever  made  to  the  givers, 
except  in  the  most  general  terms.  In 
spite  of  the  penalties  above,  many 
Mormons  do  not  pay,  and  many 
others  pay  less  than  is  their  honest 
tenth.  The  real  tithe  of  the  income 
of,  say,  400,000  Mormons  could  hard- 
ly be  less  than  four  and  a  half  mil- 
linns  annually. 


TEMPLt  tgUARH.    .sALl    LAKE  CITY;— TEMPLE  FOR   SECRET   RITES. 

(See  paragraph  6,  page  4.^    "Tabernacle"  in  center;    "Assembly  Hall"  on  left; 
only  these  are  open  to  any  but  Mormons. 


becoming  a  ^Mormon  every  one  shall 
give  "all  their  surplus  property  to  be 
put  into  the  hands  of  the  bishop," 
and  thereafter  a  tenth  of  his  income ; 
and  there  are  heavy  penalties  "re- 
vealed" for  those  who  fail  to  pay,  as 
"he  that  is  tithed  shall  not  be  burned 
at  my  coming,"  and  that  the  names 
and  genealogy  of  non-payers  shall 
not  be  kept  in  the  "church"  records, 
so  that  they  can  not  get  the  ordi- 
nances which  alone  can  give  salva- 
tion, according  to  Mormonism.  Kvery 
village  and  every  city  ward  has  its 
"bishop"  whose  first  duty  is  to  see 
that  this  tithing  is  paid  and  to  keep 
records  about  it;  his  share  of  this  is 
about  a  tenth,  the  rest  being  sent  to 


A  sidelight  on  the  financial  charac- 
ter of  present-day  Mormonism  is 
seen  in  the  fact  that  the  head  of  the 
s}stem,  Joseph  F.  Smith,  (nephew  of 
the  original  Joseph),  besides  being 
the  head  of  the  "only  true  church," 
and  only  mouthpiece  of  God  on 
earth,  was  not  long  ago  listed  as 
president  of  14  different  local  busi- 
ness enterprises,  zvitli  operations  ag- 
gregating probably  not  less  than  $25,- 
000,000  annually,  besides  being  a  di- 
rector in  a  transcontinental  railway ! 
One  of  these  institutions  illustrates 
the  system  still  further.  It  makes 
tl.'c  special  undergarments  which 
every  adult  Mormon  is  supposed  to 
wear.     It  has  competitors,  also  ]\Ior- 


A      IVl'lCAI-      \II.I.Ai;K      TlTUINi; 

The  bishop's  cfi'.cc,  and  the  hay,  brought  in  as  tithes, 

nions;  but  Joseph  F's  concern  puts 
on  its  garments  a  label  stating,  around 
a  picture  of  the  "Temple,"  that  these 
are  the  only  garments  authorized  by 
President  Joseph  F.  Smith,  and  ad- 
vertises similarly :  "They  are  the  au- 
thorized garments.  .  .  .  Made  ex- 
clusively by  the  ,"  Smith's 

concern.  Was  ever  graft  more  ap- 
parent— at  least  to  an  outsider?  And 
one  rival  imitates  by  using  the  word 
"approved,"  instead  of  "authorized." 
And  instances  of  direct  interfering,^ 
with  business  affairs  of  others  have 
not  been  wanting  in  history,  even  in 
recent  times;  tho  probably  not  so 
frequentlx-  now  as  formerly.  A  vol- 
ume would  not  do  more  than  justice 
to  this  part  of  our  subject. 

Painful  instances  of  the  growth  of 
this  graft  spirit  have  come  under 
the  writer's  observation  in  the  past 
two  or  three  years,  seeming  to  indi- 
cate a  great  declension  from  the  sim- 


Y.\l<n,       \\  il.l.AKIi,       L    1  AH. 

Stacked  in  the  yard,  and  the  granary   (at_  right) 

])lc-min(led  earlier  characteristics  of 
very  many  Mormons.  A  "bishop"  in 
a  larger  town  was  given  custody  of 
a  fund  which  had  been  collected  to 
help  a  poor  Mormon  bring  his  family 
over  from  Europe.  When  the  man 
called  for  it  he  was  compelled  to 
give  a  note  at  6  per  cent,  before  he 
could  get  it,  which  so  aroused  thi 
indignation  of  those  who  had  raised 
it  that  they  compelled  the  "bishop" 
to  destroy  the  note. 

With  practically  everything  in  the 
hands  of  the  Mormon  authorities  in 
a  localitv.  it  is  easy  to  see  how  a 
non-Mormon  might  be  "frozen  out" 
as  soon  as  it  becomes  evident  that  he 
would  not  be  converted  to  the  ruling 
faith ;  as  also  with  one  who  had 
left  the  system.  An  independent 
farmer,  or  a  man  who  can  establish 
a  business  which  is  necessary  and  in- 
dependent of  competition,  need  not 
fear,  of  course.     And  often  in  other 


S      — 


Till      Ma:o     ■VTAM.         IllHR.    II      lil^M.'liT)      TAHERNACLK,     PAYSnN.     UTAH. 

iiiis  cusi   $50.(100.      The   titliii  g   office   and   stake   house   office    are   across  ihe   street 


cases  opposition  will  not  materialize ; 
depending  on  the  man,  the  bishop,  the 
kind  of  ]\Iormons  in  the  vicinity,  etc. 
iJut  the  power  still  remains,  and  dur- 
ing the  past  summer  several  com- 
l)laints  were  made  to  the  writer  of 
its  exercise.  The  fact  certainly 
seems  to  be  sure  that  Mormonism, 
backed  by  its  immense  income  and 
control  of  the  movements  of  its  fol- 
lowers, has  a  financial  and  business 
grip  which  all  the  other  institutions 
of  Mormon-land  combined  could  hard- 
ly overcome  should  a  struggle  come, 
as  w'ell  as  one  which  reaches  far  out 
overland. 

This  is  not,  however,  to  say  tint 
this  power  has  commonly  been  exer- 
cised greatly  to  public  detriment,  or 
that  it  has  not  often  been  used  to 
the  great  advantage  of  the  common 
people.  The  writer  has  known 
bishops  who  seemed  to  take  a  really 


paternal  if  not  Christian  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  their  people,  and  does 
not  doubt  that  probably  the  majority 
(if  such  officials  are  seeking  fairly 
well  to  do  their  duty  by  their  own 
people.  But  because  powder  may  be 
useful,  we  ought  not  to  take  the  less 
care   against   its   great   danger. 

III.    Mormonism  as  a   Social  System 

The  social  phases  of  Mormonism 
seem  to  the  writer  to  have  been 
greatly  over-emphasized  in  most  pre- 
sentations of  the  subject,  both  as  re- 
gards polygamy  and  cooperative  fea- 
tures. Articles  have  attributed  the 
growth  of  the  system  to  its  coopera- 
tive features;  while  it  has  also,  and 
more  truly,  been  said  that  the  co- 
operation was  more  like  that  of  the 
lion  and  the  lamb,  with  the  lamb  in- 
side. The  so-called  cooperative  stores 
are  simply  joint-stock  companies,  usu- 


—    «)    — 


gaaco 


THE     MORMON     CITY     DANCING    PAVILION    AT    SPANISH     FORK,     L'TAII 


ally  locally  owned,  and  having  no 
integral  connection  at  all  with  others. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  creameries, 
canneries,  irrigation  enterprises,  etc. ; 
ipideed,  the  creameries  and  cheese 
factories  have  mostly  been  combined 
in  a  trust  within  a  few  years,  greatly 
increasing  prices — the  very  opposite 
of  cooperation.  The  knitting  factory 
methods  already  noted,  and  the  of- 
ficial "advice"  to  certain  farmers  to 
"raise  more  beets,"  where  the  factory 
wanted   them,   are   other   instances. 

The  polygamic  feature  of  Mor- 
monism,  perhaps,  defies  over-descrip- 
tion; black  itself  is  hardly  black 
enough  to  paint  it.  cither  in  its 
moral  or  social  character  or  its  effect 
on  posterity.  Its  purpose  was  prob- 
ably threefold:  to  cover  up  the 
licentious  proclivities  of  Smith.  Young 
and  other  leaders  who  began  it.  to 
"build    up    the    kingdom"    by    human 


breeding  to  the  limit  of  possibility, 
and  to  create  a  nasty  barrier  against 
apostacy  and  a  bond  of  union  by  the 
very  shame  of  the  thing  in  which 
they  were  involved.  All  these  pur- 
poses were  accomplished,  sometimes 
even  through  almost  the  wails  of  the 
damned  among  its  victims,  as  every 
one  familiar  with  the  facts  knows. 
And  daily  we  are  told,  even  now, 
that  it  is  as  much  a  doctrine  of 
the  system  -to-day  as  ever  it  was, 
tho  it  is  falsely  added  that  "we  do 
not  practise  it  now."  A  friend  of  the 
writer  was  calling  at  a  home  in  Utah 
the  past  summer.  The  man  was 
quite  indignant  at  the  "lies"  he  had 
heard  were  being  told  in  the  East 
about  the  Mormons  as  still  practising 
polygamy,  and  stated  as  above.  On 
calling  at  two  neighbors  later  in  the 
same  day,  the  friend  (new  to  Utah), 
was  quite  astonished  to  have  both  of 


POLYGAMOUS     FAMILY     OF     PRESIDENT     JOSEPH     F.     SMITH,     THE     PRESENT     HEAD     OP     MOKMOXISM 

President   Smith  is  a  nephew  of  the  original  Joseph   Smith,   the  founder.     The   photograph    was   taken    in 

1905.      Smith   and   his   five   wives  are   in   the   central    row.      He   now    has   43    children. 

One    son    is    an    "apostle." 


them  tell  him  that  this  very  man 
was  then  living  in  polygamy — and 
his  own  daughter  was  one  of  the  in- 
formants!  (This  illustrates  common 
Mormon  duplicity  as  well  as  poly- 
gamy). Probably  almost  every  vil- 
lage in  Mormondom  has  one  or  more 
cases.  Nor  has  proof  been  lacking 
that  new  "marriages"  have  been  per- 
formed ;  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune  has 
published  the  names  and  addresses  of 
about  235  such  cases,  two  of  them 
"Apostles."      The    head    man    of    all, 


Smith,  has  now  five  families  in  Salt 
Lake,  within  one-fourth  mile  of  the 
"Temple"  itself ! 

The  fact  is  that  polygamy  is  an 
integral  part  of  Mormonism  itself. 
and  can  not  be  abandoned  as  long 
as  the  people  worship  polygamous 
"deity."  Law  will  hinder  the  out- 
ward practise,  if  enforced;  but  the 
tlieology  will  continue  to  propagate 
the  belief,  and  the  practise  as  far 
as  possible,  until  the  doctrine  is 
chans:ed. 


I        ''1  UJill  place  no  tialue  on  anptbing  3  ftaue  or  map  | 
I  po0$e0S,  except  in  relation  to  tbe  ll^ingDom  of  Cbrist.''  | 

21  — DabiD  tlibmcstone    iji 


-Gc 


—    11 


^  iHjnuj  y  AT       Xy^  iK  y^^   £}  ^  O'^'S)  y^-rx  /  ^('^ 

^U,c•^"",o^"^o'"vc^Iu7h^h^.i''Lc^^°^?,,^^''^^^^^^  Egyptian-  inter,  (a  language  which  never  existed)  copied  from  the  "gold 
Tetler,  a  laM  are  o  fv  Fnehlh  n.^.,II^  1  H  "'  ','">'  """"'  ']"=  ""J^"  """^  '""'  "  '""<*  '"''"<'•  The«  "caractors"  which  are 
C.gn     anLa.e    in    the    whoie^^^^^^^  ■"■  '*""''■'    i'"'^"-    '«    b''"*-      There    is    probably    not    a    letter    of   any 

luiTign    language    in    the    whole,      bmilh  s    ignorance   is   shown   by    the   two  errors  in   spelling   the   title    ward 
F,T,t  i.ne ;   iTfb.ckwards).  H.  * (.  L.  4.C.t.A,f,I,  n.  e.  8-1,  4  with  s.  T,  t/,  /,  r^  3,  "  ). 


&ron<f  Line:    S 7, /I,  t,  ^.iTb.ckwards,  W.  CO  C  3. /,»  P.  - --^backwards,  t,  2.  Sbackwinis, //, /. 

I  i.rning  the   page  bottom  up  makes  clear  tJie   fraud  of  several   letters   in   lines   2  to   7-   turning  endwise   shows  several    mo 
Jhe   lalsiiy  of  the  claim   that   the  "piates"  were  encraved  in  Amerir.,   ,hn,„  jnn    1     n    '-    "^.* ---■--■-  by  ^hefacVt^ 

from     the     Mormon 
lormon  books. 

Reduced  facsimile  of  the  "caiactors"  fabricated  by  Joseph  Smith  in  1828  to  support  his  claim  to 
having  the  "gold  plates"  for  the  Book  of  Mormon.  This  one  page  is  sufficient  alone  to  prove  Mormonism 
a    fraud.      (See    the    explanation    below    the    "caractors.") 


.............   '/    u    """""'  "l"  maKes  clear  ue   traud  of  several   letters     n   lines   2  to   7-   turninir  endwise   • 

TnJX   \lnoZ        ""^  '^V"   '"^'  ,',•'?  "^\"""  ""'  '"graved  in  .America  about  400   .V   D     s  further  vhovn  ' 
hn„u    "R    ^     *'   ""  «n*„ou.n   /■//  hundreds   of  year,  later  ihanthat     dale.     This     cu      is     photo-engr'a  °ed 
book      Reminiscences  of  Joseph   the   Prophet"    (Salt"  Lake   City.  1S93):  similar  ones  are   found  in  o"he?Mor 


MORMONISM  TO-DAY  AND  ITS  REMEDY— II 


IV.    Mormonism  as  a  System  of  Religion 
and    Morals 

This  phase  of  Mormonism  is  more 
important  than  all  the  foregoing  put 
together,  tho  usually  given  hardly  a 
tithe  of  the  attention  bestowed  on 
them.  For  it  is  the  only  thing  which 
could  make  the  others  at  all  possi- 
ble, in  the  very  nature  of  the  case ; 
it  is  the  fundamental  cause,  while 
they  are  somewhat  superficial  results ; 
and  in  it  is  the  only  key  to  the  un- 
derstanding of  all  the  rest.  Hence 
Ave  must  consider  briefly  some  funda- 
mentals of  Mormonism  as  a  religion, 
false  tho  it  be  in  every  essential. 

The  fundamental  and  formative 
factor  in  any  religion  is  its  doctrine 
of  God ;  whether  right  or  wrong,  it 
will  bring  all  the  other  parts  of  the 
system  into  essential  harmony  with 
itself  sooner  or  later,  if  allowed  to 
operate. 

I.  The  Mormon  doctrine  of  God — 
the  basis  of  the  system.  (The  quota- 
tions are  from  Mormon  writings.) 


(a)  There  are  many  Gods,  of 
zchovt  Adam  is  the  "god"  of  this 
zi'orld  and  the  one  to  be  worshiped 
by  its  inhabitants.  Both  of  these 
ideas  are  official  doctrine,  tho  many 
Mormons  of  the  better  class  repudiate 
them  both.  Yet  numbers  have  told 
us  that  they  worshiped  Adam,  and 
one  of  their  most  frequently  used 
hymns  makes  Joseph  Smith  now  a 
"god,"  and  ascribes  divine  powers  to 
him. 

"Hail     to     the     Propliet,     ascended     to 
heaven! 

Traitors   and   tyrants   now   fight   him 
in  vain; 
Mingling  with  Gods,  he  can  plan  for  his 
brethren, 

Deatli     can    not    conquer     the     hero 
again." 

"Are  there  more  Gods  than  one?  Yes, 
many." — Catechism,  />.  13,  (also  see  quota- 
tions below). 

"He"  [Adam]  "is  our  Father  and  our 
Cod,  and  the  only  God  with  whom  we 
have  to  do." — Brigham  Young,  J.  of  D., 
I.  50. 

(b)    These   were   all  formerly    hu- 


—     12 


luon  beings  on  this  or  some  other 
earth,  becoming  "gods"  by  an  evolu- 
tionary process. 

"God  Himself  was  once  as  we  are 
now,  and  is  an  exalted  Man."— Joseph 
Smith,  J.  of  D.,  VI;  p.  4-  "And  you  have 
got  to  learn  how  to  be  Gods  yourselves, 
the  same  as  all  Gods  have  done  before 
you."— /OJ.  Smith,  J.  of  D.,  VI.,  4;  Comp. 
383.  Liahona,  Dec.  5,  191 1,  gives  the  whole 
sermon  from  wliicli  those  are  taken,  ap- 
provingly. 

(c)  They  are  male  and  female,  and 
with  their  former  human  marriage  re- 
lations, (especially  if  polygamous), 
still  continued;  and  sex-propagation 
is  their  "chief  glory;"  the  more  chil- 
dren, the  greater  the  "god,"  as  each 
rules  over  his  own  posterity  only. 
Their  number  is  constantly  increasing 
as  Mormons  die  and  "evolute"  into 
new  divinities. 

"When  our  Father  Adam  came  into 
the  garden  of  Eden,  he  came  into  it 
with  a  celestial  body,  and  brought  Eve, 
one  of  his  wives,  with  him." — Brigham 
Young,  J.   of   D.,   I.   so. 

"Each  God,  through  his  wife  or  wives, 
raises  up  a  numerous  family  of  sons  and 
daughters:  ...  for  each  father  and 
mother  will  be  in  a  condition  to  multi- 
ply for  ever  and  ever." — The  Seer,  I.  2,7- 

By  this  process  "the  race  of  the  Gods 
is  perpetuated,"  and  by  it,  in  connection 
with  the  rest  of  Mormonism,  "man  will 
yet  attain  unto  the  power  of  the  God- 
head, and  like  his  Father— God— his 
chief  glory  will  be  to  bring  to  pass  the 
eternal  life  and  happiness  of  his  poster- 
ity."_5.  H.  Roberts,  New  Witness,  462. 

(d)   They  have  fleshly  bodies. 

Speaking  of  polygamists  only:  "Worlds 
will  be  filled  with  their  generations  and 
they  will  ascend  to  the  majesty  and 
splendor  of  the  Gods  on  high." — Mor. 
Doc.  51-2. 

"There  is  no  other  God  in  heaven  but 
that  God  who  has  flesh  and  bones." — 
Jos.  Smith,  Comp.  287.  "Jesus  Christ  and 
the  Father  are  two  persons  .  .  .  possess- 
ing every  organ,  limb,  and  material  part 
that   man   possesses." — Key  42. 


(q)  As  a  divinity  gets  power 
enough  over  the  forces  of  nature  he 
goes  into  some  unoccupied  corner  of 
space  and  there  organizes  a  new 
world  out  of  the  chaotic  matter  there 
(we  are  not  responsible  for  the  con- 
tradictions of  Mormon  theology)  and 
goes  to  it  with  one  of  his  "wives" 
and  begins  to  populate  it  with  bodies 
for  the  spirit  babies  of  the  "gods" 
already  mentioned.  These  spirit  babies 
were  born  of  the  "flesh-and-bone" 
"gods"  and  goddesses,  in  the  other 
world,  and  are  allowed  to  come  here 
and  enter  bodies,  in  order  that  they 
may  go  on  and  become  divinities. 
Adam  was  the  "god"  who  thus  or- 
ganized this  world  (creation  is  ridi- 
culed by  Mormonism)  and  thus  be- 
came its  "god,"  as  already  stated. 

"In  that  endless  future,  new  worlds, 
systems  of  worlds  and  universes  will  be 
created  from  the  exhaustless  store  of 
eternal  matter,  and  made  the  habitation 
of  the  ever-increasing  posterity  of  the 
Gods.  Let  no  one  fear — there  is  room 
for  all  this  multiplying  and  increasing  in 
limitless  space." — New  Witness,  474-5- 

"One  great  object  of  the  creation  of 
the  world,  was  that  bodies  might  be 
prepared  for  those  spirits  who  already 
existed,  and  who,  when  they  saw  the 
earth  formed,  shouted  for  joy." — Taylor, 
Med.  and  At.,  130. 

It  follows  from  the  above  that 
such  "gods"  must  all  be  sinners,  for 
no  human  being  but  Christ  ever  lived 
without  sin;  while  polygamy  and 
lying,  of  which  their  own  books  ac- 
cuse these  supposed  "gods,"  are  cer- 
tainly sins. 

"Adam  found  himself  in  a  position 
that  compelled  him  to  disobey  one  of 
the  requirements  of  God." — J.  E.  Tal- 
mage,  Art.  of  F.,  68.  "God's  plan  in  re- 
lation to  man  was  that  he  should  fall" 
— Pres.  Taylor,  Mediation  and  Atonement, 
187. 

And   any  such  beings,  if  they  ex- 


—     t  :i 


isted,  would  not  be  gods  at  best,  but 
only  human  beings  grown  large,  with 
all  their  faults  and  limitations,  just 
as  paganism  teaches.  So  Mor- 
monism  teaches  directly  that  its 
"gods"  can  not  be  in  more  than  one 
place  at  once — as  is,  of  course,  true 
of  any  being  having  flesh  and  bones. 
It  is  also  true  that  none  of  the 
other  attributes  of  God  could  belong 
to  any  such  being;  he  could  not  be 
either  eternal,  unchangeable,  spirit, 
trinity,  omnipresent,  omnipotent,  om- 
niscient, invisible,  perfect,  infinite  in 
love  or  otherwise,  holy,  or  the  only 
one  of  his  kind ;  all  of  which  are 
imperatively  taught  by  the  Bible  and 
good  reason  as  characteristics  of  the 
true  GOD.  The  foregoing  doctrine 
is  clearly  pagan  in  almost  every 
feature;  and  the  counterpart  of  its 
every  detail  may  be  found  in  the 
mythologies  of  heathenism,  while 
every  point  is,  of  course,  squarely 
contradictory  to  the  Word  of  God. 
Indeed,  aside  from  the  licentious 
features  of  the  worship  of  Venus  and 
Bacchus,  one  might  search  in  vain 
through  all  heathenism  to  find  a 
doctrine  of  God  more  entirely  con- 
trary to  the  Word  and  reason  than 
is  this  of  Mormonism  to-day.  And 
the  above  is  no  out-of-date  teaching, 
but  is  held  NOW,  and  is  officially 
taught.  One  of  the  ]\Iormon  journals 
published  Joseph  Smith's  worst 
"sermon"  on  this  subject  only  a  year 
ago,  with  foot-notes  to  prove  it  by 
B.  H.  Roberts,  the  foremost  Mormon 
writer,  and  editor  of  the  young  men's 
publications.  It  is  astounding  that 
such  a  renascence  of  paganism 
should  be  able  to  obtain  even  passing 
credence  in  this  age;  but  we  find 
both  the  leaders  craftily  defending  its 
worst  points  and  the  common  people 


for  the  most  part  swallowing  it 
whole  and  without  the  least  apparent 
impediment  to  their  intellectual  and 
theological  digestive  apparatus,  tho  it 
is  never  digested. 

The  simple  fact  is,  as  shown  by 
the  above  quotations  and  many  others, 
that  Mormonism  is  simply  a  modern 
phallic  paganism;  its  doctrines  re- 
volving around  the  idea  of  propaga- 
tion through  physical  sex,  in  both 
worlds.  It  is  impossible  to  analyze  it 
down  to  anything  else.  Fuller  state- 
ments, in  quotations,  can  be  found  in 
"True  Mormon  Doctrine,"  "The  Pri- 
vate Doctrines  of  Alormon  Theology" 
and  "The  Truth  About  God,"  by  the 
writer  (15c.). 

2.  The  Doctrine  of  Christ — No 
Trinity.  The  Trinity  is  openly  jeered 
at,  and  the  first  so-called  "Article  of 
Faith"  (the  whole  of  these  are  in- 
tended as  a  blind  more  than  a  true 
statement  of  faith),  which  seems  to 
teach  the  Trinity,  is  explained  to 
mean  three  separate  Gods,  of  whom 
the  Father  and  Son  have  fleshly 
bodies,  but  the  Holy  Ghost  has  not. 
The  Holy  Spirit  is  a  different  being 
still,  the  permeating  light  and  life  of 
the  universe.  "Every  tree  and  stone 
has  a  spirit,  everything  has  a  spirit," 
said  a  good  and  prominent  Mormon 
last  summer  to  the  writer. 

Like  other  human  beings,  Christ 
had  pre-existence  as  the  spirit  son  of 
some  ex-human  god  and  goddess. 
His  earthly  life  began,  not  by  the 
miracle  of  the  Bible,  but  by  the  com- 
ing down  of  the  fleshly  "Adam-God" 
to  I\Iary ;  and  instead  of  being  the 
double,  divine-human  nature  which 
the  Bible  teaches,  he  is  simply  a 
human  physical,  "elder  brother"  of 
us  all,  born  as  above.  (The  doctrine 
is     contradictorv     and     irreconcilable 


11 


here.)  He  is  generally  believed  to 
have  been  married  in  polygamy  to 
Mary  and  Martha  at  Cana,  which 
was  his  own  wedding  feast;  and  by 
these  he  had  children  (base  interpre- 
tation of  Isa.  53  :io). 

"The  Father  had  begotten  him  in  his 
own  likeness.  He  was  not  begotten  by 
tlic  Holy  Ghost.  And  who  is  the 
Father?  He  is  the  first  of  the  human 
family." — Brigham   Young,  J.  of  D.,  I;  50. 

"We  saj'  it  was  Jesus  Christ  who  was 
married  (at  Cana,  to  the  Marys  and 
Martha)  whereby  lie  could  see  his  seed 
before  he  was  crucified." — Apostle  O. 
Hyde,  sermon. 

3.  Conceptions  of  Sin  and  Righteous- 
ness Lacking.  With  the  worship  of 
a  "god"  who  is  sinful,  as  we  have 
seen,  neither  abhorrence  of  sin  nor 
love  of  righteousness  is  logically  pos- 
sible; for  both  alike  are  mutually 
consistent  and  objects  of  worship  in 
tlie  divinity.  The  being  one  worships 
is  his  ideal;  he  can  rise  no  higher, 
and  if  already  higher  is  bound  to 
sink  to  its  lc\cl  in  time,  because  if 
honest  with  his  ideals  he  is  bound 
to  strive  to  attain  them.  Hence  we 
find,  both  theologically  and  in  practi- 
cal life  among  the  people,  no  real 
abhorrence  of  sin  on  the  one  hand  or 
love  of  righteousness  on  the  other; 
moral  distinctions  have  largely  been 
annihilated  by  such  wicked  theology, 
as  is  inevitable.  One  might  go 
through  the  many  hundreds  of  Mor- 
mon reports  of  their  sermons  in  the 
writers'  library,  such  as  the  Nezvs 
constantly  publishes,  and  not  find  one 
idea  of  sin  or  righteousness  above  the 
level  of  mere  expediency;  the  moral 
sense  is  dulled  and  distinctions  largely 
obscured. 

"We  ought  to  consider  the  fall  of  our 
first  parents  as  one  of  the  great  steps 
to  eternal  exaltation  and  happiness,  and 


one  ordered  by  God  in  his  infinite  wis- 
dom. Q.  Did  Adam  and  Eve  lament  or 
rejoice  because  they  had  transgressed 
the  commandment  .  .  .  ?  A.  They 
rejoiced  and  praised  God." — Catechism, 
32,  33'>    Coup.  4. 

4.  No  Conception  of  the  Atone- 
ment. With  the  Mormon  idea  of 
Christ  as  himself  debased  to  a  sinful 
level,  and  that  of  sin  itself  almost  an- 
nihilated, there  is  slight  need  or  pos- 
sibility of  atonement  by  Christ.  So 
their  doctrine  on  this  point  also  must 
be  untrue  and  contradictory  to  the 
Bible  and  fundamental  doctrine  of 
Christianity  frotn  the  beginning. 
Hence,  too,  its  counterfeit  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  drops  out  the  symbol 
of  the  blood  shed  for  sin,  and  substi- 
tutes mere  water;  and  this  while  its 
stock  charge  against  us  is  that  we 
"have  changed   the   ordinances !" 

"The  Atonement  made  by  Jesus  Christ 
brought  about  the  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  and  restored  life." — Taylor,  M.  and 
A.,  178.  (See  B.  of  M.,  Alma  42:22.)  The 
atonement  "signifies  the  deliverance  .  .  . 
of  the  earth  and  everything  pertaining 
to  it,  from  the  power  which  death  has 
obtained  over  them  through  the  trans- 
gression of  Adam.  .  .  .  Redemption 
from  personal  sins  can  only  be  obtained 
through  obedience  to  the  requirements 
of  the  gospel  [Mormon  ceremonies] 
and  a  life  of  good  works." — Comp.,  8,  9. 

5.  Four  Bibles — Coiitijiuous  Reve- 
lation. Before  Mormonism  can  foist 
its  own  system  on  the  world  it  must 
get  rid  of  Christianity.  It  must 
teach  the  incompleteness  and  unre- 
liability of  the  Bible,  and  its  own 
powers  as  a  modern  channel  of  con- 
tinuous revelation  from  God.  So, 
from  Smith  down,  these  have  been 
fundamental  doctrines.  One  of  the 
saddest  things  we  meet  among  Mor- 
mons is  their  intrained  distrust  of 
tlie  Word  of  God ;    and  one  of  the 


—     15     — 


most  striking  of  encouraging  things 
is  the  fact  that,  notwithstanding  this, 
God  still  gives  his  Word  so  much 
force  with  them  as  he  does,  in  spite 
of  their  teaching  that  the  Uiblc  is 
unreliably  translated,  that  much  has 
been  lost  out  of  it,  etc. 

"Add  all  this  imperfection  to  the  un- 
certainty of  the  translation,  and  who,  in 
his  right  mind,  could,  for  one  moment, 
suppose  the  Bible  in  its  present  form 
to  be  a  perfect  guide?  Who  knows  that 
even  one  verse  of  the  whole  Bible  has 
escaped  pollution,  so  as  to  convey  the 
same  sense  now  that  it  did  in  the 
original?" — Apostle  Pratt,  Divine  Auth.  of 
B.    of  M.,  p.    218. 

"The  living  oracles  [priestly  revela- 
tions now]  are  worth  more  to  the  Lat- 
ter-Day Saints  than  all  the  Bibles,  etc." 
—Apostle  M.  IV.  Merrill,  Conference,  S.  L. 
City,  Oct.,  1897. 

A  common  idea  is  that  the  Bible 
was  God's  revelation  for  a  bygone 
age  and  the  European  continent; 
while  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  for 
this  continent  and  the  same  bygone 
age,  and  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants 
is  for  this  continent  and  age  both; 
they  also  believe  in  the  Pearl  of  Great 
Price.  Such  ideas  rob  the  Word  of 
its  value  and  power;  but  in  spite  of 
them  it  miraculously  holds  greater 
power  for  almost  any  Mormon  than 
the  other  books,  tho  the  living  voice 
of  their  leaders  still  eclipses  all  in 
the  minds  of  many.  The  Bible  is 
used  vastly  more  than  even  ten  years 
ago,  and  will  surely  vindicate  its  real 
character  in  time. 

6.  Salvation  by  Deeds  and  Ordi- 
nances Only.  Since  the  death  of 
Christ  was  only  to  produce  a  physical 
resurrection,  in  which  good  and  bad 
alike  share,  we  are  left  to  good 
works  for  salvation,  so  far  as  any 
is  needed.  Indeed,  their  idea  of  sal- 
vation is  merely  the  obtaining  of  an 


"exaltation"  in  one  of  the  degrees  of 
heaven,  of  which  the  highest  is  occu- 
l)ied  by  polygamists  and  others  who 
have  become  "gods" — not  a  very  at- 
tractive prospect!  Grace,  gift,  faith 
and  forgiveness  are  all  unknown  to 
Alormonism  in  this  connection,  and, 
indeed,  are  often  ridiculed  when  men- 
tioned. The  heathen  idea  of  paying 
off  for  sins  with  good  deeds  is  almost 
universally  the  limit  of  ideas  on  this 
subject.  One  of  the  most  painful  ex- 
periences among  the  people  is  to  find 
their  almost  entire  ignorance  and 
even  frequent  ridicule  of  these  very 
A  B  C  ideas  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. As  a  Mormon  woman  in 
Idaho  said  to  the  writer,  when  asked 
what  she  thought  we  must  do  to  be 
saved,  "O,  if  I  do  more  good  than 
I  do  evil,  I'll  get  to  heaven  after  I've 
been  punished  for  the  sins  I've  com- 
mitted;" the  statement  being  affirmed 
also  by  dozens  of  others  to  whom  it 
was  quoted.  They  generally  ridicule 
the  idea  of  any  hell,  tho  their  own 
books  are  full  of  it ;  thus  making 
salvation  consist  only  in  getting  to 
some  degree  of  "exaltation ;"  the 
teaching  being  also  that  all  but  a 
very  few  will  so  attain,  after  their 
purgatorial  experiences.  (See  quota- 
tion under  Atonement.) 

The  results  of  such  ideas  are  now 
and  everywhere  just  what  they  were 
in  Paul's  time  (Rom.  9:30-32)  — 
lowering  the  standard  to  match  the 
immoral  life  as  the  failure  to  raise 
the  life  to  the  true  standard  becomes 
manifest.  And  this  is  always  a  char- 
acteristic of  Mormonism  in  practical 
life.  There  is  no  hope  of  help  from 
its  sinful,  ex-human  deities,  nor  in  a 
Christ  who  is  not  the  Christ  of  the 
Bible,  nor  in  a  salvatio*'!  which  is  at 
the  best  like  trying  to  lift  oneself  by 


—     IG 


his  own  bootstraps.  Hence  the  moral 
level  of  JMormonism  is  and  always 
must  remain  very  low,  except  as  it 
is  influenced  by  Christianity  from 
outside  in  spite  of  itself.  We  have 
not  room  to  consider  this  phase  of  the 
subject,  tho  very  important,  further 
than  to  say  that  instead  of  Mormon- 
dom  being  the  paradise  on  earth 
often  portrayed  by  the  Mormon 
"elder"  on  his  proselyting  errands 
outside,  after  20  years'  experience  the 
writer  is  compelled  to  say  that  it 
seems  to  him  the  lowest  moral  level 
of  all  the  nine  places  in  five  States 
in  which  he  has  lived.  Yet  the  people 
are  far  better  than  the  pagan,  phallic 
system  by  which  they  are  enthralled ; 
because  very  many  of  them  have 
come  out  of  Christian  churches,  as 
honestly  deceived  by  a  system  which 
hid  its  realities  from  them  as  are 
the  adherents  of  Christian  Science  or 
other  religious  fads.  The  good  they 
bring  over  helps  neutralize  the  bad 
into  which  they  have  come. 

With  all  the  foregoing  facts  as  the 
background,  we  are  now  ready  to  ask 
the  great  question. 

What    is    the    Remedy    for    the    Mormon 
Evil? 

The  political,  financial,  social  and 
religious  characteristics  of  Mormon- 
ism  which  have  been  pointed  out  are 
the  indications  by  which  any  rem- 
edy which  will  succeed  must  be 
chosen.  Let  us  glance,  in  passing, 
at  the  work  which  has  already  been 
done. 

The  Sabbath-school  was  the  first 
form  of  Christian  work  in  Utah. 
Consecrated  by  the  life-blood  of  its 
first  superintendent  at  the  hands  of 
Mormon  hatred,  it  has  endured  until 
now.  Its  value  in  helping  the  Mor- 
mon neople  has  been  limited  by  their 


small  attendance  and  the  seeming  or 
real  impossibility  of  treating  upon 
some  of  the  very  things  which  they 
need  most  to  learn.  There  are,  per- 
haps, 120  schools  now  in  operation  in 
Utah  and  the  eastern  (Mormon)  part 
of  Idaho,  with  probably  10,000  mem- 
bers. 

Next  in  order  of  time  came  preach- 
ing services  and  the  church.  Accord- 
ing to  the  best  figures  at  hand, 
which  are  not  complete,  there  are 
about  100  churches  and  regular 
preaching-stations  in  Utah  and  con- 
tiguous Mormon  territory.  The  Bap- 
tists have  about  11,  the  Congregation- 
alists  about  12,  the  Disciples  i,  the 
Episcopalians  about  16,  the  Method- 
ists and  Presbyterians  each  about  35, 
and  the  Lutherans  about  7.  Perhaps 
18  of  the  whole  are  self-supporting, 
tho  usually  barely  so ;  the  total  mem- 
bership is  about  8,000,  and  the  at- 
tendants nearly  all  non-Mormons. 
The  Mormons  are  often  "counseled" 
to  keep  away,  and  are  ahvays 
taught  that  Christian  ministers  are 
counterfeits,  working  merely  for 
money  and  sect,  and  the  churches 
spurious ;  a  very  small  proportion 
only  of  the  Mormons  are  ever  in  at- 
tendance at  these  services. 

Next  came  the  mission  school 
work ;  and  for  many  years  it  was  the 
largest  and  most  effective  agency  for 
the  Kingdom  which  we  have  ever  had. 
But  the  public  school  has  now  cov- 
ered the  field  of  secular  education 
well,  and  only  about  a  half-dozen 
mission  schools  remain,  with  as  many 
academies ;  and  the  latter  are  finding 
their  pathway  made  increasingly  diffi- 
cult by  the  incoming  high-schools. 
The  mission  school  was  intended 
largely  as  a  religious  agency  as  well 
as    intellectual ;     the    scholars    daily 


learned  Bible  truth  and  on  Sunday 
attended  the  services  which  the 
teacher  held — perhaps  the  only  ones 
for  many  miles  around.  Now  a  num- 
ber of  such  places  are  without  any 
Christian  work,  while  the  buildings 
stand  in  reproachful  neglect  and  the 
children  of  Gentile  and  Mormon 
alike  go  to  be  taught  that  there  are 
many  gods,  of  whom  Joseph  Smith 
was    a    prophet,    with    all    the    other 


reach  them  as  well  as  others  with 
His  gospel.  In  pursuit  of  such  an 
idea,  several  forms  of  traveling  work 
have  been  in  operation  among  the 
Mormons.  The  American  Tract  So- 
ciety for  some  years  had  one  or  two 
men  at  work  selling  good  books  from 
house  to  house.  The  American  Sun- 
day-school Union  has  also  had  one 
or  two  workers  in  the  field  for  some 
years,  founding  several  schools.     The 


M  •         s^w'!  aft        1  _                    .^.      4* 

m-\  '-4^  • 

nm^^—  :      ^s^^am^      -^ 

T;'"      ■^-^■^^ 

UTAH     CSIXL     MISSION    EVANGELISTS    Willi    THEIR    GOSPEL    WAGONS 


false  and  debasing  tenets  of  Mor- 
nionism ;  and  later  they  intermarry 
and  increase  the  Mormon  dynasty. 

The  gospel  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  only  when  it  is  made 
to  come  strongly  into  contact  with  the 
souls  in  need ;  and  since  the  Mor- 
mons will  not  come  to  us  in  any 
great  measure  to  be  taught  the  Bible 
way,  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  we 
must  go  to  thetu  or  fail  of  carrying 
out  the  final  command   of   Christ   to 


l>aptists  have  had  one  or  two  men 
in  wagons ;  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety has  had  several  workers,  tho 
for  some  years  now  working  mainly 
through  the  Utah  Gospel   Mission. 

Thic  Utah  Gospel  Mission,  of 
Cleveland,  is  the  result  of  a  broad, 
experimental  and  very  careful  stuciy 
of  all  the  factors  in  the  problem  of 
reaching  the  Mormon  people  with 
wlKit  might  bo  called  a  fair  gospel 
chance. 


—     18     — 


It  was  incorporated  in  1900,  with 
a  Board  including  members  of  various 
denominations ;  and  its  every  detail 
fits  the  peculiar  needs  of  the  people. 
The  "sect  and  salary"  objections  are 
met  by  going  without  both,  finding 
friends  to  help  meet  actual,  econom- 
ical expenses  as  they  occur.  Its 
workers  live  in  great  gospel  wagons 
the  year  round,  visiting  all  the  homes 
and  holding  meetings  outdoors,  in 
meeting-houses  or  dance-halls,  so 
planned  as  to  be  most  attractive  and 
useful.  Nearly  all  the  550  odd  set- 
tlements (450  with  no  local  Chris- 
tian work),  have  been  visited  three 
times  in  about  11  years  of  the  work, 
making  about  180,000  visits,  holding 
2,000  meetings  with  i6o,oco  present, 
and  using  over  13.000,000  pages  of 
special  literature ;  while  in  the  East 
it  has  done  a  large  work  of  public 
information,  also.  In  character  the 
work  is  educational-evangelistic;  first 
seeking  to  make  the  great  truths  of 
the  Bible  clear  and  strong  to  the  peo- 
ple, and  then  to  secure  the  undivided 
surrender  of  heart  to  the  God  thus 
perceived  and  to  all  His  truth. 

Many  persons  have  the  idea  that 
some  sort  of  legal  measures  will 
solve  the  Mormon  problem.  But 
such  surely  forget  that  the  evil  is 
fundamentally  that  of  a  false  re- 
ligion, and  that  so  long  as  the  leaders 
can  keep  their  grip  on  the  religious 
nature  of  the  people  (no  mattfr 
whether  sincerely  or  not)  they  have 
that  which  gives  control  in  finance, 
]"»olitics,  family  relations,  residence 
and  everything  else ;  and  that  hence 
there  can  be  no  real  cure  except  one 
which  shall  correct  their  religion. 
Law  can  help  suppress  outward  po- 
lygamy or  other  crime ;  but  that  is 
about   all   it   can   do.      The   writer   is 


most  heartily  in  favor  of  having  law 
do  all  that  it  can  do;  but  let  us 
cease  making  the  mistake  of  expect- 
ing it  to  do  things  entirely  outside  of 
its  province  or  power.  And  until  an 
amendment  to  the  national  Constitu- 
tion is  passed,  the  national  govern- 
ment has  no  power  at  all  to  inter- 
fere in  such  matters  in  any  State : 
while  Utah  laws,  tho  good,  are  prac- 
tically null  because  Mormons  will 
never  enforce  them  against  themselves. 
Others  have  expected  that  secular 
education  would  correct  the  evil.  The 
statement  of  a  skeptical  professor  in 
one  of  the  largest  Utah  schools  some 
years  ago  is  instructive  in  this  re- 
gard :  "When  I  came  here,  six  years 
ago,  I  thought  that  education  would 
solve  the  problem.  But  since  I  have 
seen  some  of  their  brightest  young 
men  go  even  to  foreign  lands  and 
come  back  with  a  string  of  degrees 
after  their  names,  and  as  much  Mor- 
mons as  ever,  I  have  given  that  all 
up."  "How  do  you  explain  it?"  the 
writer  asked.  "Was  their  secular 
education  only  so  much  added  power 
behind  their  old  religious  ideas,  which 
education  had  left  untouched,  or  was 
it  because  of  social  or  financial  rea- 
sons after  they  returned,  or  both?" 
"I  guess  it  was  both,"  he  replied ; 
and  such  is  doubtless  the  fact.  Secu- 
lar education  does  not  touch  the 
sorest  spot  of  need,  tho  it  helps  by 
cultivating  thought  and  giving  a 
broader  basis  of  facts.  True  re- 
ligious education  is  necessary  till  they 
can  see  the  great  religious  facts  to 
which  their  false  training  has  blinded 
them  as  others  are  sometimes  color- 
blind. Ordinarily  they  get  nothing  in 
their  meetings  and  reading,  but  the 
pagan  ideas  of  IMormonism,  from  one 
end   of   the   vear   to   the  other ;    and 


—     19     — 


these  are  presented  in  the  most  at- 
tractive and  reasonable  ways  possi- 
ble, "to  deceive  if  possible  the  very 
elect."  In  similar  circumstances  we 
would  believe  as  they  do — and  far 
more  deeply  than  many  profest  Chris- 
tians believe  their  doctrines,  because 
far  more  intensely  indoctrinated.  The 
only  real  cure  for  such  religious  dis- 
ease lies  in  reversing  the  process  by 
some  means,  so  that  the  people  shall 
gradually  learn  the  truth  instead  of 
error,  and  shall  become  really  con- 
verted to  Christ.  The  process  must 
necessarily  be  slow  to  be  genuine ; 
but  it  may  none  the  less  be  real  and 
thorough.  God  is  working;  let  us 
work  by  all  possible  methods  which 
will  lead  to  this  end.  The  traveling 
work  of  the  Utah  Gospel  Mission  is 
especially  important,  as  the  only  way 
yet  found  to  reach  the  whole  people 
systematically  and  with  the  methods 
and  messages  suited  to  their  needs. 
All  other  forms  of  Christian  work 
mentioned  should  be  continued,  espe- 
cially the  Sabbath-school  and  church 
work ;  and  these  should  be  made 
more  effective  by  greater  versatility 
of  effort.  Let  no  one  be  discouraged 
about  the  Mormon  field ;  tho  it  is  the 
hardest  in  the  world,  the  gospel  of 
Christ  is  stronger  than  that  of  Satan 


and  will  triumph  if  its  messengers 
are  faithful  and  sufficiently  numerous. 
As  long  as  Mormonism  sends  out 
perforce  i,ooo  young  men  a  year  to 
recruit  for  itself,  each  without  salary 
and  finding  his  expenses  as  he  ca:i 
from  friends  and  enemies,  we  must 
be  stirring  to  do  what  may  be  done 
for  the  Kingdom  against  their  aggres- 
sive system ;  and  strong  men  ought 
to  be  offering  themselves  in  plenty 
to  help  carry  the  light  back  to  them. 
There  are  two  ways  to  prevent 
Mormons  from  getting  many  con- 
verts: one  is  to  keep  people  taught 
in  the  truth  of  the  P.ible  so  well  that 
they  can  not  be  deceived  by  false 
doctrine ;  the  other  is  to  so  inform 
the  public  about  Mormonism  that 
people  can  not  be  made  to  be- 
lieve untruths  when  these  "elders" 
come.  It  is  time  that  pulpit  and  press 
alike  are  teeming  with  the  facts  on 
both  these  lines  till  all  are  informed 
and  awakened.  Dr.  Kinney's  book, 
"Mormonism,  the  Islam  of  America," 
is  exceedingly  valuable,  as  are  also 
many  tracts  issued  by  various  houses. 
Upo)i  the  faithfulness  of  Christians 
to  the  zvork  thus  needed  in  the  West 
and  elsezi'here  depends  the  outcome 
of  the  Mormon  issue. 


Reprinted  by  permission  from  The  Mission.\rv  Review  of  the  World  for  April 
and  May,  1913.     CojiyriKlitcd  by  Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company,   Publishers,  New  York. 


(See  important    statement  on    next    page,  and  Publication  List 
on  last  page  of  Cover.) 


—     20     — 


AN  URGENT  APPEAL. 

In  behalf  of  the  exceedingly  important  issue 
which  is  barely  outlined  in  the  foregoing  pages, 
the  Utah  Gospel  Mission  of  Cleveland  makes 
very  earnest  appeal  as  follows : 

1.  For  broadcast  and  constant  use  of  lit- 
erature showing  the  real  character  of  Mormon- 
isni,  such  as  is  issued  by  the  Mission  and  others. 
Arouse  interest  and  action  by  spreading  infor- 
mation everywhere.  Mormonism  keeps  over 
tzvo  thousand  emissaries  out  constantly,  using 
probably  200.000.000  pages  of  its  deceptive 
tracts,  etc.,  annually,  and  holding  50,000  meet- 
ings, besides  the  hundreds  of  tons  of  its  periodi- 
cals which  are  mailed.  Everybody  should  keep 
the  best  tracts  on  hand  for  enclosures  in  letters 
and  other  use ;  towns  where  emissaries  come 
should  be  quietly  but  quickly  supplied  at  every 
house;  editors  should  be  urged  to  give  the  sub- 
ject wise  place.     (See  List,  last  page  of  cover.) 

2.  For  more  public  speaking.  Every  pas- 
tor should  keep  his  people  informed  and  re- 
minded, in  various  ways;  and  public  addresses 
should  be  had  far  more  often.  We  can  supply 
or  direct  to  such,  illustrated  if  desired. 

3.  For  a  much  larger  support  for  the  work 
of  the  Mission,  both  West  and  East,  and  co- 
operation in  it.  This  work  embodies  the  utmost 
of  adaptedness.  efficiency,  economy  and  co-op- 
eration with  all  good  agencies  in  bringing  the 
Kingdom  in  this  regard.  About  400,000  peo- 
ple, mostly  Mormons,  are  reached  by  no  other 
direct  gospel  agency,  and  can  be  reached  only 
bv  similar  methods.  Its  work  has  often  been 
greatly  hindered  by  lack  of  means,  and  much 
has  been  impossible.  The  Mission  is  incorpor- 
ated and  competent  to  receive  bequests.  Write 
for  circulars,  the  Annual,  details  of  needs,  items 
for  special  gifts,  etc. 

4.  For  more  men  for  the  Western  work. 
For  the  1.000  men  annually  sent  out  by  Mor- 
monism, all  Christianity  has  often  not  sent  a 
dozen  back.  Our  work  has  especially  suflfered. 
Details  on   application. 

THE   UTAH    GOSPEL   MISSION, 

1854  E.  81st  St.,  Cleveland.  O. 

Cleveland,    -May  27,   1913. 


CM 

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OUR  PUBLICATION  UST. 

Below  we  list  some  very  useful  publications  on  Mormonism — 
those  numbered  being  our  own  issues.  We  can  also  supply  Mor- 
mon books.  The  first  price  given  is  for  a  single  copy,  the  second 
for  ten  copies,  the  third  for  100 — all  prepaid.  Read  and  circu- 
late; keep  some  on  hand  constantly — the  land  should  be  sown 
with  some  of  these. 

1.  The  True  Mormon  Doctrine.  Stated  in  quotations  from 
Mormon  works;  very  valuable  for  distribution  where  "elders" 
are   working,  and   unanswerable 3c,   12c,  $1 

2.  The  Private  Doctrines  of  Mormon  Theolog-y.  Addi- 
tional  quotations,   for  discrimniinating  use   only 3c,  12c,  75c 

3.  Mormon  Doctrine  and  Christian  Truth.  The  only 
careful  discussion  of  Mormon  Doctrine  ever  published.  88  pages, 
very  valuable.  Every  Mormon  convert  should  have  these,  and 
every  pastor,   for  information 10c,  75c,  $5 

4.  Mormonism  Proclaimiuer  Itself  a  Fraud.  Illustrated. 
Probably  the  best  short  exposure  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  ever 
issued,  with  important  other  matter.     16  pages 3c,   15c,  $1.15 

5.  Mormon  Morals.      Letter   from  a  convert  in   Utah. 
2c,   5c,   35c 

6.  Why  I  Could  Kever  Be  a  Mormon.  By  Rev.  J.  D.  Nut- 
tii>g,  after  nearly  20  years  of  experience  with  Mormonism,  West 
and  Kast.  Gives  a  rapid,  concise  view  of  the  main  facts  of  Mor- 
mon history,  doctrine  and  life  which  should  decide  every  one 
against  the  system.  Should  be  sown  broadcast,  given  to  con- 
verts and  persons  in  danger,  etc.     28  pages 4c,  25c,  $2 

7.  The  Story  of  a  Mormon  Convert.  The  true  story,  over 
his  own  name,  of  a  good  friend  in  N.  Y.  City,  who  was  deceived 
by  the  "elders"  but  found  the  light  again  largely  through  our 
work.     Very  important : 2c,   10c,  7Sc 

8.  The  Special  Difficulties  of  Work  Amongf  the  Mor- 
mons, and  how  they  may  be  overcome.  Very  important  facts 
about  church  and  mission  work 2c,  10c,  7Sc 

9.  Present-Day  Mormonism  and  its  Remedy.  Eight  arti- 
cles from  a  syndicate  of  religious  papers,  giving  a  sketch-view  of 
the  history  and  character  of  Mormonism,  Christian  Missionary 
work,  Josephite  (Iowa)  and  Brighamite  (Utah)  Mormonism  com- 
pared, etc.     The  best  general  view  published,  20pp. ..  .5c,  35c,  $3 

10.  The  Guard's  Great  Question.  A  pithy  collection  of 
stories  and  teaching  concerning  the  New  Birth  and  how  it  may 
be  obtained,  with  suggestions  to  young  Christians.  . .  .4c,  25c,$1.5b 

11.  The  Wonderful  Story  of  the  Wonderful  Book. 
The  miraculous  origin,  preservation,  translation,  character  and 
power  of  the  Bible;  with  some  of  the  evidence  for  it  and  against 
all  other  professed  books  of  revelation,  reasons  for  its  use,  rules 
for  understanding  difficult  passages,  its  chief  teachings  in  classi- 
fied passages  for  ready  reference,  and  a  special  study  of  the 
passages  claimed  by  Mormons  as  proving  their  false  doctrines. 
104   pages,   illustrated 10c,  75c,  $6.50 

12.  The  Truth  About  God.  "It's  a  whole  theology"  and 
"The  best  thing  you  have  published" — two  ministers  of  long  ex- 
perience in  Utah.  Sets  forth  clearly  the  main  poiiits  of  Biblical 
and  rational  truth  about  God,  the  beliefs  of  paganism  and  Mor- 
monism, and  the  astonishing  unity  between  the  two  latter.  Know- 
ing these  facts  no  believer  in  the  Bible  can  be  a  Mormon.  So 
pages,  illustrated    10c,  7Sc,  $6 

13.  Incidents  and  Anecdotes  Illustrating'  Mormonism. 
138  actual  incidents  in  our  work,  1903-1911,  classified  for  refer- 
ence. Best  sidelight  on  Mormon  doctrine  and  life.  24  pages. 
Should  be  used  very  largely 4c,  30c,  $2 

14.  The  Secret  Oaths  and  Ceremonies  of  Mormonism. 
The  tie  holding  Mormonism  together.  Of  similar  oaths  and  pen- 
alties, Ex-President  John  Quincy  Adams  said:  "A  common  can- 
nibal would  be  ashamed."  Sworn  to  by  three  persons,  and  con- 
firmed by  new  temple  book 3c,  15c,  $1.15 

Mormon  Doctrines  Analyzed.  By  Wilfred  S.  Hale,  M.  D. 
A  fine  contrast  between  Mormon  Doctrines  and  the  Word  of 
God,  chiefly  arranged  in  parallel  columns 5c,    50c,   $4.50 

The  Mormons  and  Their  Bible.  A  complete  annihilation  of 
the  claims  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  from  internal  evidence;  by 
Rev.  M.  T.  Lamb.     Illustrated,   152  pages 25c 

Iiig-hts  and  Shadows  of  Mormonism.  535  pages,  illus- 
trated, cloth,  by  J.  F.  Gibbs,  an  ex-Mormon  of  Utah.  Very 
valuable  for  quotations,  documents,  etc.,  and  forming  a  good 
history  of  Mormonism  from  its  beginning,  with  special  reference 
to  its  political  aspects,  though  not  entirely  free  from  favorable 
bias  as  to  certain  Mormon  persons  and  classes.  CJives  the  facts 
about  Mountain  Meadows  Massacre,  Brigham  Young's  Distillery, 
polygamy,  priestly  politics,  etc $1.25 

Cumorah  Revisited.  By  Rev.  C.  A.  Shook,  who  was  raised 
a  Josci>hite  ("Reorganized")  Mormon.  Becoming  convinced  from 
the  study  of  American  archaelogy  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  and 
the  whole  system  founded  upon  it  was  a  fraud,  he  left  it  and 
later  became  a  Christian  minister;  and  this  book  is  the  result  of 
further  study.  It  is  not  only  exceedingly  interesting  and  full  of 
information,  but  seemingly  unanswerable $1.50 

Three  Great  Movements.  By  Rev.  W.  A.  Stanton,  Ph.  D. 
Contains  a  graphic  story  of  the  Sidney-Rigdon-Pittsburgh  origins 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  Mormonism,  from  original  investi- 
gations there;  important,  48  pages 10c 

Sample  packets  containing  all  but  the  last  four  on  this  list, 
with  other  matter,  SSc  postpaid.     The  whole  list,  $3.30. 


PAMPHLET  BINDER 

PAT      NO. 

677186 

Manu/aclured  bu 

GAYLORD  BROS.  Inc. 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Sloclcton,  C«lif. 


Date  Due 

P13  51 

JI\2b'^A 

««te^^ 

^ 

f) 

III 


BP838.N98 

Mormonism  to-day  and  Its  remedy  ... 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00037  3847 


